Anne Arundel has major cause for celebration in the 50th season of our unique outdoor Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre. At the historic former colonial blacksmith shop at 143 Compromise Street, across from City Dock, the challenges of presenting 50 seasons under the stars have shaped this troupe's identity.

The Columbia Orchestra's Symphonic Pops concert offers something for everyone on Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jim Rouse Theatre at Wilde Lake High School. This season-ending program offers selections from movie scores and Broadway shows, jazz tunes, and a classical excerpt too.

A day after looting and fires closed convenience stores on a number of West Baltimore blocks following the death of Freddie Gray, Columbia resident Dylan Goldberg issued a call for food donations. Less than 24 hours later, he had collected 1,700 pounds of non-perishable food, 150 pounds of meat, 400 pounds of produce, 250 subs and 25 cases of water to deliver to people living in the hardest hit areas.

Dramatic true stories have the potential to grab our attention in ways that fiction never can. While daring rebellions, desperate pursuits, peril and courage are all staples of children's adventure novels, they become even more mesmerizing when drawn from real life.

In a culture where we whip ourselves into instant media rages and then move on forgetting only days later what it was that so upset us, maybe Trevor Noah's tweets won't be such a big deal by the weekend.

The Baltimore County Public School system can celebrate another victory. The high school graduation rate rose another 1.33 percent, from 86.3 percent in 2013 to 87.6 percent, in 2014. The dropout rate saw a similar change, falling from 9.7 percent in 2013 to 8.8 percent in 2014.

At 67, Will Hetzel writes poetry, speaks his liberal mind and revels in the psychedelic music of the late Richie Havens and The Jefferson Airplane. That he did the same in 1968, as a Maryland basketball star, caused quite a stir in College Park.